Miladinov Brothers

The Miladinov brothers (Bulgarian: Братя Миладинови, Bratya Miladinovi, Macedonian: Браќа Миладиновци, Brakja Miladinovci), Dimitar Miladinov (1810–1862) and Konstantin Miladinov (1830–1862), were Bulgarian poets and folklorists from the region of Macedonia, authors of an important collection of folk songs, Bulgarian Folk Songs. In their writings, they self identified as Bulgarians, though besides contributing to Bulgarian literature, in the Republic of Macedonia they are also thought to have laid the foundation of the Macedonian literary tradition.

The collection Bulgarian Folk Songs includes a total of 665 songs and 23,559 verses. Another famous poem by Konstantin Miladinov is Tǎga za Jug (Тъга за юг), that he wrote during his stay in Russia. Their hometown hosts the international Struga Poetry Evenings festival in their honour including a poetry award named after them. Some argue that the Miladinov brothers mark the highest achievement of the Bulgarian folklore studies in the period of the Bulgarian National Revival with the richness and variety of the songs.